ABC-CLIO. " World History: The Modern Era - Username." World History: The Modern Era - Username. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://worldhistory.abc-clio.com>.
Absolutism Qs
1) What is absolutism?
Absolutism is a form of government where rulers reign with absolute sovereignty, otherwise known as dictatorship.
2) Explain the justification for absolutism referred to as the 'divine right of kings'.
The divine right of kings is a theory that justifies why a ruler has a right to reign, the theory is that the right was given by God and since the ruler is representing God, his words and lows are absolutely true and should be followed without any accountability.
3) List the causes of the rise of Absolutism in Europe.
They were used to unify nation states, or to restore peace in a nation with a strong ruler. Some other causes are the Protestant Reformation because the pope had lost power and the states needed a new powerful ruler.
4) In your opinion, is absolutism a good way to rule? Can you think of a situation where it might be a positive thing?
My thoughts are that absolutism is not a good way to rule especially when the country is stable enough to be democratic. However I think it would be a positive thing when a country is unstable and needs a strong ruler to pull them together and brush them off their feet. Nevertheless, when the country becomes stable again, it should convert to democracy.
Occupy Wallstreet Qs
1. Why have people decided to Occupy Wall Street, and other financial areas in major cities the world over? People have decided to do this act of rebellion because they are against government officials representing and helping corporates instead of the people. This lead to the common people of America have financial inequity. It is also unfair and unreasonable because the poor are paying more taxes than the rich.
2. Who might oppose those who are occupying Wall Street or demonstrating? Why are they opposing them? The 1% that controls 80% of America will probably oppose because if the protestors' wishes were fulfilled, then they would lose money for themselves. Argument Planning Sheet
Wanted to get rid of Christians because it
violated their belief that the Emperor was a god.
Protect their culture. Stabilize the country from
civil wars and foreign attacks.
The Main Idea
To close off Japan from the world
Significance
Portrays that countries that close off lost their chance
to progress and become more advanced especially at
that time when Europe began to flourish.
Port 3: Causes of African slavery: The Europeans in the Americas initially planned to use the Native Americans as slaves, however they began to die out and discovered Africans as a new source of cheap labor for their plantations. The Triangular Trade Route: The trade route in which slaves were imported to the Americas through the Atlantic Ocean, colonial goods from the Americas were imported to Europe, and manufactured goods to Africa where African merchants sold slaves in turn for gold, guns, and other goods. Consequences of the Slave trade: Africa lost many of their productive workers, ultimately leading to a decline in their economy. This lead to poverty and due to this Africa was not able to progress as much as Europe. Starvation was also an effect from the slave trade since they did not have many able men that could grow the crops. However due to Africa's huge sacrifice, the Americas were able to progress into a strong country. Africans also brought along their expertise in agriculture, and their culture such as art, religion, and food. Port 2: The Age of Exploration:Would you go?
The 15th and 16th century were a time of exploration and discovery for European nations. Taking advantage of new maritime knowledge and inventions, European powers undertook sea expeditions to expand their trade and influence.
What possible rewards might come from exploring the seas for new lands?
If the voyage is successful and you mark land for your sponsor, find riches, and convert non-Christians into Christians, the sponsor would possibly reward you with a high social status and riches.
What are the risks involved in embarking on a voyage into the unknown?
The risk is that natives may be hostile, the uncertainty of how long the journey will be, and the uncertainty of what you will discover (poor land or wealthy land).
What will you do if you actually run into other people?
Many Europeans' purpose to journey into the unknown was to convert non-Christians into Christians. When running into natives I will try to convert them and conquer them, leading to a fulfillment in God's duty and wealth from either slaves or the gifts the natives give.
Before You Leave
Astrolabe
The Astrolabe is abrass circle with carefully adjusted rings marked off in degrees. The rings were used to sight stars, calculate latitude, and see how north or south the ship was from the equator.
Map of Expeditions Red = Magellan Blue = da Gama Green = Cortes Yellow = Myself
CHART OF EXPEDITIONS When you get to p. 75, read to the bottom of p. 77. Stop at the paragraph beginning "Thereafter the Qazi..." Is there evidence here that Zhu Di truly did not understand what was happening to his rule? Yes, In the past several years he had been suffering strokes(damage to brain), treated with arsenic and mercury(poisoning), he had even been thrown off a horse(damage to head).This proves that he had not been in his right mind and his judgements would not have been his best.
Start up again on the bottom of p. 78 (from "Apparently abandoned by heaven..."). List all the things that happened to the old emperor near the end of his life. The economy of China began to fall due to his great projects, rebellions began to come up from Annam and Vietnam leading to the Ming Dynasty's first serious defeat, and his Cabinet started to and ended in disintegration.
Finally read the edict of the new emperor, Zhu Di's son, Zhu Gaozhi, on the very day he ascended the throne, pp 81-85, beginning "All voyages of the treasure ships are to be stopped." Explain how this edict changed the history of not only China but of the WORLD. How did this leave open the "door" for Europe to take center stage now? The edict changed history because due to this, China's technologywasn't able to be spread upon the world. If China had kept traveling around, showing us theirgreat knowledge our world could have come to the current modern society much faster. Europe was able to take that chance since China wasn't sailing around with their big warships and diverse trading.
Day 2: Route to Beijing
Holy Roman Emperor: Sail through the Mediterranean Sea towards Spain, Go around Africa(sailing), go through Madagascar and Africa, arrive at northern India, sail the Indus River through India and arrive at China.
Emperor of Byzantium: Go over the middle east on foot, Sail the Red Sea, Go through Yemen and Africa, sail Arabian Sea, port at Northern India, sail Indus River, arrive at China.
Doge of Venice: Sail through the Mediterranean Sea towards Spain, Go around Africa(sailing), go through Madagascar and Africa, arrive at northern India, sail the Indus River through India and arrive at China.
Kings of England, France, Portugal, Castille: Go around Africa(sailing), go through Madagascar and Africa, arrive at northern India, sail the Indus River through India and arrive at China.
Look carefully at the Yuan and Ming Dynasties and make some generalizations about China under those dynasties. Size? Change from previous dynasties? From your reading, make any observations you can about the two time periods. The Yuan Dynasty was noticeably larger than the Ming Dynasty. From Yuan's previous Dynasty to Yuan, it seems as if Yuan united three dynasties and expanded greatly into Mongolia. The Ming Dynasty covers only about half of modern day China.
While reading pages 49-50, explain some of the factors that affected the Chinese attitudes toward foreigners. Many Mandarins were believed in Confucianism and thought trading disrupt the tao. Since trading could be described as interacting with foreigners, you could say that the Mandarins disliked foreigners and thought they threw the government into disorder.
On p. 53 Menzie notes that the new walled capital was to be "fifteen hundred times the area of walled London at that time and housing fifty times the population". SO, using your math skills, refer to the following map and figure out how big that new capital would be. London = 250,000 Beijing = London x 1500 = 250,000 x 1500 = 375,000,000 people.
Can you find the old city in the modern city? Where is it? What is there now? In this area, the Temple of Heaven still remains, and there are a lot of other temples and memorials.
On p. 54, Menzies writes that Zhu Di extended the Great Wall (which is actually many separate sections of wall created over hundreds of years) from 5,000 kms to 6,400 kms. You'll notice, that doesn't mean that the wall was 6,400 kms long. If it WAS, where would it reach if it began at the Yalu River? Use the map in MWH Atlas p A18-19 to estimate where you would end up if the wall really extended 6,400 kms due west of Beijing. If the Wall really extended 6400km, I estimate that it would end up in Pakistan or Afghanistan.
Through what MODERN countries did the silk roads go?
The Silk road extends from Jordon/Syria, through Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, above India and into China.
China: A Missed Opportunity for Global Dominance Questions: Excerpt 1
1. On what philosophical assumptions are the Hongwu emperor’s words and
actions based? Hongwu’s words and actions are based on the philosophy and suspicion that his money and grain is corrupted and being tampered with. Solely acting on suspicion, he is telling those who have mistreated his property will be punished in cruel ways.
2. Do you think that his actions will solve the problems he refers to? Why or
why not? I do not think his actions will solve the problems because they will only cause fear within the empire and emperor. This will lead to false assumptions from the Emperor, an unfair punishment to an innocent citizen, and eventually rebellion if the cycle continues. Questions: Excerpt 2
1. Does the emperor’s approach to solving the problem of evil behavior in this
excerpt differ from that in the first? If so, how? Yes, this excerpt differs because the first one is the aftermaths of Hong Wu being bewitched by money and fortune, suspicion everywhere. This second excerpt seems more like Hong Wu’s early goals as an Emperor and how he wanted to be a good ruler.
2. On what philosophical assumptions are Hongwu’s words here based? Think Chinese philosophy. I think his assumptions here, are based on Buddhist and Confucius beliefs because they believe people should not possess objects in order to sustain from greed since greed causes unhappyness, Confucius states that to be followed you need be respect and a model. In this excerpt he is stating how he will not be possessed by such things and be a model to the people.
3. As an official, what would be your reaction to the emperor’s admonitions? As an official, I think I would begin to think of the Emperor as too paranoid and weak to stay true to the words he stated before.
4. The emperor clearly holds himself up as a model of self-restraint for his
officials to emulate. As an official, how would you take this? I think I would scoff at his attempt to hold up that model, because many Emperors have stated that but always failed. Eventually they were all seduced by the hands of riches, women, and greed.
5. Would your reaction be changed if you suddenly learned that the Hongwu emperor had dozens of concubines and consorts, with whom he fathered
twenty-six sons and sixteen daughters? Yes, my reaction would change if I had only read the second excerpt because it would seem like the emperor is hypocritical. This is because he was the one that stated he would not be taken in by the beauties of women but behind, fathered many children. I would think of him as foolish and a weak ruler unable to take responsibility for his words.
Christine Lee G-block Islam World Paragraph Christine Lee G-block Islam Research Chart Christine Lee G-block Information Muslim Empires 1.How did the Ottomans treat non-Muslims? The non-Muslims did not have to join the army, but had to pay taxes. 2. What were Suleyman's major accomplishments? Suleyman conquered parts of the southeastern Europe by 1525 and won control of the entire eastern Mediterranean Sea and took North Africa as for west as Tripoli. He also ruled his empire with a highly structured government with slaves serving the royal family, and a group of elite soldiers called janissaries. Suleyman was also a great patron of the arts and used excellent architects to build fine buildings in his capital. 3. Despite their brilliant rule, what critical mistake did Suleiman and Shah Abbas make? Suleiman and the Shah Abbas had killed or injured the Safavid Empire’s most talented sons resulting to a weak and ineffective shah. 4. What evidence of cultural blending can you find in Akbar's rule? Akbar allowed freedom of religion and hired people based on their abilities instead of religion. His blending of culture produced two new languages, which are still used in India today. 5. How did Akbar's successors contribute to the end of the Mughal Empire? Shah Jahan chose not to follow Akbar’s policy of religious freedom and carried on expensive art projects, which required high taxes and made the people suffer. His son made many conquests but put in harsh laws which led to a rebellion and split up the empire. KEY SKILL 5: ANALYZING
1. What were the CAUSES of the Scientific Revolution? Which one do you think is MOST significant AND WHY?
The causes of the Scientific Revolution was the new discoveries and inventions. One of which is the printing press. This helped new and old ideas to be spread throughout Europe, more easily.
2. Why might those in positions of authority at the time (Church and government) tend to reject new ideas?
They might want to reject new ideas because the new ideas challenged their traditional ideas, if their traditional ideas turned out not the be valid, then this could lead people to think their power isn’t valid also. This is what eventually happened.
3. Do you agree with Galileo's actions during his trial? Explain.
No, I do not because I think he should have stuck to his beliefs if he had gone that far into spreading them.
4. Make a list of the major figures of this revolution in thinking and what they did.
COPERNICUS: developed the Heliocentric Theory and Scientific Method KEPLER: developed Scientific Method GALILEO: supported Heliocentric Theory, opposed Church but was punished eventually, developed Scientific Method. BACON: supports Scientific Method and writes book “Novum Organum” which encourages the use of experimental methods.
5. Explain the significance of these terms:
Geocentric Theory:Theory that explains that the Earth is the center of the universe. Can symbolize the Church’s power and dominance.
Heliocentric Theory: Theory that explains that the Sun is the center of the universe. Represents the breakout of new ideas and challenging the Church power.
Scientific Revolution: Abundance of new ideas in the science field and the spreading of them in Europe.
Scientific method: An experimental method of how to prove a theory. Symbolizes that people no longer depended on the Bible or Church for knowledge.
How did the Renaissance contribute to the opening of the mind in Europe?
The Renaissance contributed to the mind opening of Europe because people began to question how life should be treated and lived, leading to a more broader and intelligent perspective Western people began to develop. Renaissance means rebirth, and really rebirth of technology was everywhere. Art, science, and many other fields began to develop greatly, in contrast to the Dark Ages. These ideas from the Renaissance became to be the basis of European thinking. For example, at the time many became skeptical of the Church’s forceful ways. The discovery of a Heliocentric universe didn’t help the Church either, but acted as a trigger for the sciences. After the Bubonic plague swept by Europe, people began to realize the importance of life. They began to doubt the lifestyle they had before and started to question all their values, general and personal. If you look back into history, those that followed were in history but those that questioned made history. The Renaissance was a trigger in the gun that would effect minds of many Europeans, their intelligence started from the Renaissance. Why does Europe gain dominance?
The Renaissance helps Europe gain dominance in the future because the questioning of the Church at the time leads to a pioneering mind in all Europeans. The questioning the Church, helped them question all their values and establish new ones. This kind of mind will be able have the same affect on other countries they travel to, to conquer. 1. How did the cities of Italy help create the Renaissance?
Since Italy had thriving cities due to their overseas trading, this helped them become more involved in the Renaissance since cities are place where people exchange ideas. 2. What is your opinion of the Medici family?
Although they were a great patron of the arts and as a dictator, still kept the appearance of an elected government, I think they established a corrupt government in Florence. 3. How did Humanism influence Renaissance ideas?
Humanism is about the human potential and achievements, therefore this helped them think more about their intellect and therefore they began to think about science and the arts. 4. Why did church leaders and wealthy merchants support the arts?
They supported the arts because this helps them get their portraits be drawn thus demonstrating their importance. 5. What were the similarities and differences between upper-class Renaissance men and women?
Both Renaissance men and women were to be educated and appreciate the arts. However men were allowed to create art and power but women were considered in just inspiring art but not creating it. 6. After reading the "Analyzing Primary Sources" box, respond to this question: Do the qualities called for in the ideal Renaissance man and woman seem to emphasize the individual or the group? Give evidence in the documents to back up your answer!
I think the qualities emphasize on the group because they say "Let the man we are seeking be..". If multiple people are seeking for an ideal Renaissance man, I assume that they want a whole group of people to become a model of Renaissance behavior. Christine Lee's Family History Page The Many Hats of a Historian: Vocabulary
heretical - unorthodox beliefs
faggot - a bundle of sticks used for public humiliation and punishment
Eucharist - a communion with God
abstain - to restrict oneself from something
penance - to show repentance for a sin
beseeching - to request earnestly
source - a document or primary reference work
The Many Hats of a Historian: Qs
1. Section 1, Heretical Beliefs, the historian gives his account of a historical event. What is happening to Hogsflesh? What is the historian's “story” or main point of the article? The Historical event is about John Hogslfesh, who spoke out against the church and is being punished by taken out to the streets half naked and reciting a statement that he was wrong and will never speak out again. The historian's mainpoint is that looking over records like these are one of the many jobs of a historian
2.What are the roles of a historian defined by John Arnold? Do you agree or disagree with his assumptions? Can you think of any other roles? From John Arnold, the roles of a historian are record-keeper, intrepreter/detective, analyst, judge, politician, philosopher, synthesizer, and storyteller. I think another role could be a teacher. As a historian, they should be able to help people understand the concepts of history and historical events.
3.What is meant by “treat(ing) their sources with fidelity?” Remember to put your response in your own words. Why is it important to remember this when reading historical references? To treat sources with fidelity means to treat sources with exactness and in detail. I think it's important to treat resources with fidelity because if you do not look over or read them carefully, you might get a concept wrong or information wasn't conceived properly so when you eventually present the idea people just accept the idea as you tell it, when in fact you had your information and perspective inaccurately. 4.How can a single event be interpreted in more than one way? Can you think of an event in your life that historians could interpret with differing points of view? A single event could be intrepreted in multiple ways if the perspectives of the people that conceive the event are diverse. For example, when I was a baby, I used to call my pacifier, papajji. Being born in America, but in a Korean family, my theory of why I called pacifier, papajji, is that I mixed both pacifier, and jutggokjji(pacifier in Korean). One historian might say that this is proof that I am a billigual person. One might say that growing in an environment like that, my language skills were sure to develop in a mixture. Another historian might just think that I was talking nonsense and was unsure of how to pronounce the word "pacifier".
5.Talk to a family member or friend about something that happened to you both a long time ago. Examine how you both remember the incident and write about it. With that in mind, when attaching meaning to history, is it possible for a historian to be completely objective? Use examples from the incident you just discussed to reinforce your response When I was in pre-school I had drowned in a swimming pool once. In my memory, I drowned because I wanted to know what would happen if I took off my life jacket. To me, this is a memory of my recklessness and ignorance. However to my mother who was there at the time, thinks of the incident as a trigger to always treasure her children and love them to the fullest, since it might have lead to losing me. No, I don't think it is possible to be objective when people try to put meaning in history. Even when thinking about the drowning, both my mother and I thought about how we felt when the incident happened and what the incident made us think about. We didn't think about how the lifeguard was not smart enough to spot me or how I took the life jacket off so easily.
6.What problems may arise when historians practice subjective history? In what ways may subjective history be beneficial to the study of history? Think back to the incident you just discussed with your family member or friend. Why did it make sense for you to remember the event the way you did and for the other person to remember it the way he or she did? What does this tell us about history? When historians practice subjective history, they may not be able to understand the event as well since they cannot input their philosophical meanings, to make their perspectives much easier to periceive. However when studying history it is best to do it subjectively because this can allow the people that are studying to form their own philosophies and perspectives. It is obvious that my mother and I would think of our own opinions of the incident at first since we are thinking of the incident in first person, not third person. I think that this tells us that history is about WHY it happened and HOW people felt about it, not really WHAT happened.
7.Why is every historian "a storyteller?" If all historians are storytellers and there are myriad versions of every story, can we trust historians? Why or why not? All historians are storytellers because they pass on information about the past to people in the present. A story is something that happened, not something that is happening. No, we cannot trust historians because each have their own perspective, however none of us know which one is the accurate one. Since we ourselves cannot judge which information is correct or not, but we eventually trust historians because they are our only professional source.
8.How did your view of history and historians change based on this reading? How will you approach history now that you have explored these views? I think my view changed after reading the article by opening up to the various roles of a historian, in the future I suppose that this will help me become one or more of the several roles when I am studying history. After reading this, I realized that history should at first, be conceived open-mindedly and then after reading subjectlively, we should state our opinion and philosophy about it. What is culture?
<Christine Lee, Jennifer Lim, Esther Kim, Daniel Lim>
A group of ideas that one society shares, something that represents the country. Why is an understanding of culture necessary to understand history?
Understanding a culture that is not your own may be hard to perceive at first. However the comprehension of culture can lead to more various perspectives which can enhance one's understanding of history also. In Korea, we have a tendency to eat dogs(although the practice is now not as often), that almost all foreigners think as barbaric and cruel. Yet, if you look into our culture, we call it "boshintang", which basically means to look after the body. So if you look into the culture, you can tell that Koreans actually eat this for their health. Once this is understood, you can also understand the history. During the Korean War and almost forty years after it, Koreans were in great poverty. This forced them to look for more sources of protein, turning them to the dogs you would see around every village. After grasping the idea of all of this, we are able to realize that once we understand both culture and history, the one way vision that we inherited from our own culture, a spectrum will form in our "glasses".
Christine Lee's French Revolutionary Diary
Catherine the Great
ABC-CLIO. " World History: The Modern Era - Username." World History: The Modern Era - Username. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://worldhistory.abc-clio.com>.
Absolutism Qs
1) What is absolutism?
Absolutism is a form of government where rulers reign with absolute sovereignty, otherwise known as dictatorship.2) Explain the justification for absolutism referred to as the 'divine right of kings'.
The divine right of kings is a theory that justifies why a ruler has a right to reign, the theory is that the right was given by God and since the ruler is representing God, his words and lows are absolutely true and should be followed without any accountability.3) List the causes of the rise of Absolutism in Europe.
They were used to unify nation states, or to restore peace in a nation with a strong ruler. Some other causes are the Protestant Reformation because the pope had lost power and the states needed a new powerful ruler.4) In your opinion, is absolutism a good way to rule? Can you think of a situation where it might be a positive thing?
My thoughts are that absolutism is not a good way to rule especially when the country is stable enough to be democratic. However I think it would be a positive thing when a country is unstable and needs a strong ruler to pull them together and brush them off their feet. Nevertheless, when the country becomes stable again, it should convert to democracy.Occupy Wallstreet Qs
1. Why have people decided to Occupy Wall Street, and other financial areas in major cities the world over?
People have decided to do this act of rebellion because they are against government officials representing and helping corporates instead of the people. This lead to the common people of America have financial inequity. It is also unfair and unreasonable because the poor are paying more taxes than the rich.
2. Who might oppose those who are occupying Wall Street or demonstrating? Why are they opposing them?
The 1% that controls 80% of America will probably oppose because if the protestors' wishes were fulfilled, then they would lose money for themselves.
Argument Planning Sheet
Port 4:
APPARTS chart
violated their belief that the Emperor was a god.
Protect their culture. Stabilize the country from
civil wars and foreign attacks.
to progress and become more advanced especially at
that time when Europe began to flourish.
Port 3:
Causes of African slavery:
The Europeans in the Americas initially planned to use the Native Americans as slaves, however they began to die out and discovered Africans as a new source of cheap labor for their plantations.
The Triangular Trade Route:
The trade route in which slaves were imported to the Americas through the Atlantic Ocean, colonial goods from the Americas were imported to Europe, and manufactured goods to Africa where African merchants sold slaves in turn for gold, guns, and other goods.
Consequences of the Slave trade:
Africa lost many of their productive workers, ultimately leading to a decline in their economy. This lead to poverty and due to this Africa was not able to progress as much as Europe. Starvation was also an effect from the slave trade since they did not have many able men that could grow the crops.
However due to Africa's huge sacrifice, the Americas were able to progress into a strong country. Africans also brought along their expertise in agriculture, and their culture such as art, religion, and food.
Port 2:
The Age of Exploration:Would you go?
The 15th and 16th century were a time of exploration and discovery for European nations. Taking advantage of new maritime knowledge and inventions, European powers undertook sea expeditions to expand their trade and influence.
- What possible rewards might come from exploring the seas for new lands?
If the voyage is successful and you mark land for your sponsor, find riches, and convert non-Christians into Christians, the sponsor would possibly reward you with a high social status and riches.- What are the risks involved in embarking on a voyage into the unknown?
The risk is that natives may be hostile, the uncertainty of how long the journey will be, and the uncertainty of what you will discover (poor land or wealthy land).- What will you do if you actually run into other people?
Many Europeans' purpose to journey into the unknown was to convert non-Christians into Christians. When running into natives I will try to convert them and conquer them, leading to a fulfillment in God's duty and wealth from either slaves or the gifts the natives give.Before You Leave
- Astrolabe
The Astrolabe is a brass circle with carefully adjusted rings marked off in degrees. The rings were used to sight stars, calculate latitude, and see how north or south the ship was from the equator.Map of Expeditions
Red = Magellan
Blue = da Gama
Green = Cortes
Yellow = Myself
CHART OF EXPEDITIONS
When you get to p. 75, read to the bottom of p. 77. Stop at the paragraph beginning "Thereafter the Qazi..." Is there evidence here that Zhu Di truly did not understand what was happening to his rule?
Yes, In the past several years he had been suffering strokes(damage to brain), treated with arsenic and mercury(poisoning), he had even been thrown off a horse(damage to head). This proves that he had not been in his right mind and his judgements would not have been his best.
Start up again on the bottom of p. 78 (from "Apparently abandoned by heaven..."). List all the things that happened to the old emperor near the end of his life.
The economy of China began to fall due to his great projects, rebellions began to come up from Annam and Vietnam leading to the Ming Dynasty's first serious defeat, and his Cabinet started to and ended in disintegration.
Finally read the edict of the new emperor, Zhu Di's son, Zhu Gaozhi, on the very day he ascended the throne, pp 81-85, beginning "All voyages of the treasure ships are to be stopped." Explain how this edict changed the history of not only China but of the WORLD. How did this leave open the "door" for Europe to take center stage now?
The edict changed history because due to this, China's technology wasn't able to be spread upon the world. If China had kept traveling around, showing us their great knowledge our world could have come to the current modern society much faster. Europe was able to take that chance since China wasn't sailing around with their big warships and diverse trading.
Day 2: Route to Beijing
Holy Roman Emperor: Sail through the Mediterranean Sea towards Spain, Go around Africa(sailing), go through Madagascar and Africa, arrive at northern India, sail the Indus River through India and arrive at China.
Emperor of Byzantium: Go over the middle east on foot, Sail the Red Sea, Go through Yemen and Africa, sail Arabian Sea, port at Northern India, sail Indus River, arrive at China.
Doge of Venice: Sail through the Mediterranean Sea towards Spain, Go around Africa(sailing), go through Madagascar and Africa, arrive at northern India, sail the Indus River through India and arrive at China.
Kings of England, France, Portugal, Castille: Go around Africa(sailing), go through Madagascar and Africa, arrive at northern India, sail the Indus River through India and arrive at China.
Look carefully at the Yuan and Ming Dynasties and make some generalizations about China under those dynasties. Size? Change from previous dynasties? From your reading, make any observations you can about the two time periods.
The Yuan Dynasty was noticeably larger than the Ming Dynasty. From Yuan's previous Dynasty to Yuan, it seems as if Yuan united three dynasties and expanded greatly into Mongolia. The Ming Dynasty covers only about half of modern day China.
While reading pages 49-50, explain some of the factors that affected the Chinese attitudes toward foreigners.
Many Mandarins were believed in Confucianism and thought trading disrupt the tao. Since trading could be described as interacting with foreigners, you could say that the Mandarins disliked foreigners and thought they threw the government into disorder.
On p. 53 Menzie notes that the new walled capital was to be "fifteen hundred times the area of walled London at that time and housing fifty times the population". SO, using your math skills, refer to the following map and figure out how big that new capital would be.
London = 250,000
Beijing = London x 1500 = 250,000 x 1500 = 375,000,000 people.
Can you find the old city in the modern city? Where is it? What is there now?
In this area, the Temple of Heaven still remains, and there are a lot of other temples and memorials.
On p. 54, Menzies writes that Zhu Di extended the Great Wall (which is actually many separate sections of wall created over hundreds of years) from 5,000 kms to 6,400 kms. You'll notice, that doesn't mean that the wall was 6,400 kms long. If it WAS, where would it reach if it began at the Yalu River? Use the map in MWH Atlas p A18-19 to estimate where you would end up if the wall really extended 6,400 kms due west of Beijing.
If the Wall really extended 6400km, I estimate that it would end up in Pakistan or Afghanistan.
Through what MODERN countries did the silk roads go?
The Silk road extends from Jordon/Syria, through Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, above India and into China.
China: A Missed Opportunity for Global Dominance
Questions: Excerpt 1
1. On what philosophical assumptions are the Hongwu emperor’s words and
actions based?
Hongwu’s words and actions are based on the philosophy and suspicion that his money and grain is corrupted and being tampered with. Solely acting on suspicion, he is telling those who have mistreated his property will be punished in cruel ways.
2. Do you think that his actions will solve the problems he refers to? Why or
why not?
I do not think his actions will solve the problems because they will only cause fear within the empire and emperor. This will lead to false assumptions from the Emperor, an unfair punishment to an innocent citizen, and eventually rebellion if the cycle continues.
Questions: Excerpt 2
1. Does the emperor’s approach to solving the problem of evil behavior in this
excerpt differ from that in the first? If so, how?
Yes, this excerpt differs because the first one is the aftermaths of Hong Wu being bewitched by money and fortune, suspicion everywhere. This second excerpt seems more like Hong Wu’s early goals as an Emperor and how he wanted to be a good ruler.
2. On what philosophical assumptions are Hongwu’s words here based? Think Chinese philosophy.
I think his assumptions here, are based on Buddhist and Confucius beliefs because they believe people should not possess objects in order to sustain from greed since greed causes unhappyness, Confucius states that to be followed you need be respect and a model. In this excerpt he is stating how he will not be possessed by such things and be a model to the people.
3. As an official, what would be your reaction to the emperor’s admonitions?
As an official, I think I would begin to think of the Emperor as too paranoid and weak to stay true to the words he stated before.
4. The emperor clearly holds himself up as a model of self-restraint for his
officials to emulate. As an official, how would you take this?
I think I would scoff at his attempt to hold up that model, because many Emperors have stated that but always failed. Eventually they were all seduced by the hands of riches, women, and greed.
5. Would your reaction be changed if you suddenly learned that the Hongwu emperor had dozens of concubines and consorts, with whom he fathered
twenty-six sons and sixteen daughters?
Yes, my reaction would change if I had only read the second excerpt because it would seem like the emperor is hypocritical. This is because he was the one that stated he would not be taken in by the beauties of women but behind, fathered many children. I would think of him as foolish and a weak ruler unable to take responsibility for his words.
Christine Lee G-block Islam World Paragraph
Christine Lee G-block Islam Research Chart
Christine Lee G-block Information
Muslim Empires
1.How did the Ottomans treat non-Muslims?
The non-Muslims did not have to join the army, but had to pay taxes.
2. What were Suleyman's major accomplishments?
Suleyman conquered parts of the southeastern Europe by 1525 and won control of the entire eastern Mediterranean Sea and took North Africa as for west as Tripoli. He also ruled his empire with a highly structured government with slaves serving the royal family, and a group of elite soldiers called janissaries. Suleyman was also a great patron of the arts and used excellent architects to build fine buildings in his capital.
3. Despite their brilliant rule, what critical mistake did Suleiman and Shah Abbas make?
Suleiman and the Shah Abbas had killed or injured the Safavid Empire’s most talented sons resulting to a weak and ineffective shah.
4. What evidence of cultural blending can you find in Akbar's rule?
Akbar allowed freedom of religion and hired people based on their abilities instead of religion. His blending of culture produced two new languages, which are still used in India today.
5. How did Akbar's successors contribute to the end of the Mughal Empire?
Shah Jahan chose not to follow Akbar’s policy of religious freedom and carried on expensive art projects, which required high taxes and made the people suffer. His son made many conquests but put in harsh laws which led to a rebellion and split up the empire.
KEY SKILL 5: ANALYZING
1. What were the CAUSES of the Scientific Revolution? Which one do you think is MOST significant AND WHY?
The causes of the Scientific Revolution was the new discoveries and inventions. One of which is the printing press. This helped new and old ideas to be spread throughout Europe, more easily.
2. Why might those in positions of authority at the time (Church and government) tend to reject new ideas?
They might want to reject new ideas because the new ideas challenged their traditional ideas, if their traditional ideas turned out not the be valid, then this could lead people to think their power isn’t valid also. This is what eventually happened.
3. Do you agree with Galileo's actions during his trial? Explain.
No, I do not because I think he should have stuck to his beliefs if he had gone that far into spreading them.
4. Make a list of the major figures of this revolution in thinking and what they did.
COPERNICUS: developed the Heliocentric Theory and Scientific Method
KEPLER: developed Scientific Method
GALILEO: supported Heliocentric Theory, opposed Church but was punished eventually, developed Scientific Method.
BACON: supports Scientific Method and writes book “Novum Organum” which encourages the use of experimental methods.
5. Explain the significance of these terms:
How did the Renaissance contribute to the opening of the mind in Europe?
The Renaissance contributed to the mind opening of Europe because people began to question how life should be treated and lived, leading to a more broader and intelligent perspective Western people began to develop. Renaissance means rebirth, and really rebirth of technology was everywhere. Art, science, and many other fields began to develop greatly, in contrast to the Dark Ages. These ideas from the Renaissance became to be the basis of European thinking. For example, at the time many became skeptical of the Church’s forceful ways. The discovery of a Heliocentric universe didn’t help the Church either, but acted as a trigger for the sciences. After the Bubonic plague swept by Europe, people began to realize the importance of life. They began to doubt the lifestyle they had before and started to question all their values, general and personal. If you look back into history, those that followed were in history but those that questioned made history. The Renaissance was a trigger in the gun that would effect minds of many Europeans, their intelligence started from the Renaissance.
Why does Europe gain dominance?
The Renaissance helps Europe gain dominance in the future because the questioning of the Church at the time leads to a pioneering mind in all Europeans. The questioning the Church, helped them question all their values and establish new ones. This kind of mind will be able have the same affect on other countries they travel to, to conquer.
1. How did the cities of Italy help create the Renaissance?
Since Italy had thriving cities due to their overseas trading, this helped them become more involved in the Renaissance since cities are place where people exchange ideas.
2. What is your opinion of the Medici family?
Although they were a great patron of the arts and as a dictator, still kept the appearance of an elected government, I think they established a corrupt government in Florence.
3. How did Humanism influence Renaissance ideas?
Humanism is about the human potential and achievements, therefore this helped them think more about their intellect and therefore they began to think about science and the arts.
4. Why did church leaders and wealthy merchants support the arts?
They supported the arts because this helps them get their portraits be drawn thus demonstrating their importance.
5. What were the similarities and differences between upper-class Renaissance men and women?
Both Renaissance men and women were to be educated and appreciate the arts. However men were allowed to create art and power but women were considered in just inspiring art but not creating it.
6. After reading the "Analyzing Primary Sources" box, respond to this question: Do the qualities called for in the ideal Renaissance man and woman seem to emphasize the individual or the group? Give evidence in the documents to back up your answer!
I think the qualities emphasize on the group because they say "Let the man we are seeking be..". If multiple people are seeking for an ideal Renaissance man, I assume that they want a whole group of people to become a model of Renaissance behavior.
Christine Lee's Family History Page
The Many Hats of a Historian: Vocabulary
- heretical - unorthodox beliefs
- faggot - a bundle of sticks used for public humiliation and punishment
- Eucharist - a communion with God
- abstain - to restrict oneself from something
- penance - to show repentance for a sin
- beseeching - to request earnestly
- source - a document or primary reference work
The Many Hats of a Historian: Qs1. Section 1, Heretical Beliefs, the historian gives his account of a historical event. What is happening to Hogsflesh? What is the historian's “story” or main point of the article?
The Historical event is about John Hogslfesh, who spoke out against the church and is being punished by taken out to the streets half naked and reciting a statement that he was wrong and will never speak out again. The historian's mainpoint is that looking over records like these are one of the many jobs of a historian
2.What are the roles of a historian defined by John Arnold? Do you agree or disagree with his assumptions? Can you think of any other roles?
From John Arnold, the roles of a historian are record-keeper, intrepreter/detective, analyst, judge, politician, philosopher, synthesizer, and storyteller. I think another role could be a teacher. As a historian, they should be able to help people understand the concepts of history and historical events.
3.What is meant by “treat(ing) their sources with fidelity?” Remember to put your response in your own words. Why is it important to remember this when reading historical references?
To treat sources with fidelity means to treat sources with exactness and in detail. I think it's important to treat resources with fidelity because if you do not look over or read them carefully, you might get a concept wrong or information wasn't conceived properly so when you eventually present the idea people just accept the idea as you tell it, when in fact you had your information and perspective inaccurately.
4.How can a single event be interpreted in more than one way? Can you think of an event in your life that historians could interpret with differing points of view?
A single event could be intrepreted in multiple ways if the perspectives of the people that conceive the event are diverse. For example, when I was a baby, I used to call my pacifier, papajji. Being born in America, but in a Korean family, my theory of why I called pacifier, papajji, is that I mixed both pacifier, and jutggokjji(pacifier in Korean). One historian might say that this is proof that I am a billigual person. One might say that growing in an environment like that, my language skills were sure to develop in a mixture. Another historian might just think that I was talking nonsense and was unsure of how to pronounce the word "pacifier".
5.Talk to a family member or friend about something that happened to you both a long time ago. Examine how you both remember the incident and write about it. With that in mind, when attaching meaning to history, is it possible for a historian to be completely objective? Use examples from the incident you just discussed to reinforce your response
When I was in pre-school I had drowned in a swimming pool once. In my memory, I drowned because I wanted to know what would happen if I took off my life jacket. To me, this is a memory of my recklessness and ignorance. However to my mother who was there at the time, thinks of the incident as a trigger to always treasure her children and love them to the fullest, since it might have lead to losing me. No, I don't think it is possible to be objective when people try to put meaning in history. Even when thinking about the drowning, both my mother and I thought about how we felt when the incident happened and what the incident made us think about. We didn't think about how the lifeguard was not smart enough to spot me or how I took the life jacket off so easily.
6.What problems may arise when historians practice subjective history? In what ways may subjective history be beneficial to the study of history? Think back to the incident you just discussed with your family member or friend. Why did it make sense for you to remember the event the way you did and for the other person to remember it the way he or she did? What does this tell us about history?
When historians practice subjective history, they may not be able to understand the event as well since they cannot input their philosophical meanings, to make their perspectives much easier to periceive. However when studying history it is best to do it subjectively because this can allow the people that are studying to form their own philosophies and perspectives. It is obvious that my mother and I would think of our own opinions of the incident at first since we are thinking of the incident in first person, not third person. I think that this tells us that history is about WHY it happened and HOW people felt about it, not really WHAT happened.
7.Why is every historian "a storyteller?" If all historians are storytellers and there are myriad versions of every story, can we trust historians? Why or why not?
All historians are storytellers because they pass on information about the past to people in the present. A story is something that happened, not something that is happening. No, we cannot trust historians because each have their own perspective, however none of us know which one is the accurate one. Since we ourselves cannot judge which information is correct or not, but we eventually trust historians because they are our only professional source.
8.How did your view of history and historians change based on this reading? How will you approach history now that you have explored these views?
I think my view changed after reading the article by opening up to the various roles of a historian, in the future I suppose that this will help me become one or more of the several roles when I am studying history. After reading this, I realized that history should at first, be conceived open-mindedly and then after reading subjectlively, we should state our opinion and philosophy about it.
What is culture?
<Christine Lee, Jennifer Lim, Esther Kim, Daniel Lim>
A group of ideas that one society shares, something that represents the country.
Why is an understanding of culture necessary to understand history?
Understanding a culture that is not your own may be hard to perceive at first. However the comprehension of culture can lead to more various perspectives which can enhance one's understanding of history also. In Korea, we have a tendency to eat dogs(although the practice is now not as often), that almost all foreigners think as barbaric and cruel. Yet, if you look into our culture, we call it "boshintang", which basically means to look after the body. So if you look into the culture, you can tell that Koreans actually eat this for their health. Once this is understood, you can also understand the history. During the Korean War and almost forty years after it, Koreans were in great poverty. This forced them to look for more sources of protein, turning them to the dogs you would see around every village. After grasping the idea of all of this, we are able to realize that once we understand both culture and history, the one way vision that we inherited from our own culture, a spectrum will form in our "glasses".